Argo Character Posters Introduce Ben Affleck's Crew

Ben Affleck’s third directorial effort, the international hostage thriller Argo, is gearing up for its October 12th release, and while most know about the plot to retrieve American embassy workers from a Canadian safehouse in Iran, potential audience members might not be aware that the scheme involves a fake science-fiction movie called Argo. Three new character posters take us through Hollywood, where a producer (Alan Arkin) and a make-up artist (John Goodman) help a CIA operative (Affleck) with his mission. Meet the “crew” in the character posters below:

The posters were tagged on the movie’s official Facebook page, and they boast the memorable slug line, “The Mission Was a Movie.” It’s wise of Warner to sell this component of the film, because Argo is able to provide levity to a very tense situation by landing well-placed jabs at the bloated, self-centered Hollywood studio system with this excellent subplot. It helps that Goodman and Arkin nail their portrayals of Hollywood “players” with something to prove.

Affleck has established himself as a rock-solid director through Gone Baby Gone and The Town. He takes a huge step forward with Argo, proving once again that he has an excellent nose for casting (as well as for leading his cast to Oscar nominations and wins). Can he land a few more Oscar noms once this one reaches theaters? Pundits have made a few bold predictions, but we’ll know more once the films opens and the chips start to fall.